Contactor apparatus for semiconductor devices and a test method of semiconductor devices

ABSTRACT

A contactor apparatus having a first contactor ( 2 ) and a second contactor ( 4 ) acquires an electrical conduction to a plurality of semiconductor devices formed on a semiconductor wafer ( 6 ). The first contactor ( 2 ) has contacts ( 2   b ) which are directly brought into contact with power supply terminals ( 6   a ) of the semiconductor devices. The second contactor ( 4 ) is movable relative to the first contactor ( 2 ) and has contacts ( 4   a ) which are brought into contact with signal terminals ( 6   b ) of the semiconductor devices. Thereby, the number of contacts to be formed on a single contactor can be reduced and the number of pattern wirings can also be reduced, which makes the fabrication of the contactor easier.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to contactor apparatuses and, moreparticularly, to a contactor apparatus for acquiring an electric contactfor each of a plurality of semiconductor devices formed on a wafer.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] In recent years, in a manufacturing process of semiconductordevices, a technique has been developed for simplifying themanufacturing process of semiconductor devices by testing semiconductordevices in a wafer state. According to such a technique, a plurality ofsemiconductor devices formed on a single wafer are subjected to varioussemiconductor tests in a wafer state and also being subjected topackaging. Then, the semiconductor devices packaged in a wafer state isseparated from each other. According to such a technique, thesemiconductor devices can be managed on an individual lot basis.Additionally, a cost spent on the packaging of a defective semiconductordevice can be eliminated.

[0003] Many semiconductor devices are formed on a single wafer in analigned state. Electrodes such as power supply electrodes or an inputand output signal electrodes are formed on each of the semiconductordevices. Therefore, in order to apply a test to the semiconductordevices while driving them, an electrical contact must be made with eachof the semiconductor devices. That is, it is necessary to make a contactwith the electrodes provided on each semiconductor device.

[0004] The number of the electrodes formed on one semiconductor devicemay be several hundreds when it is large. Moreover, more than hundredsof semiconductor devices are formed in one wafer. Therefore, in order tomake a contact with an entire wafer simultaneously, the contact must bemade with as many as several hundreds of thousands of electrodes at onetime. Generally, in order to make a contact with electrodes of asemiconductor device, a contactor having contacts, which individuallycontact with respective electrodes of the semiconductor device, is used.Therefore, in order to make a contact with semiconductor devices in awafer state simultaneously, it is necessary to form contacts of the samenumber as the number of the electrodes on the wafer on the contactor.That is, in order to test a wafer having several hundreds of thousandsof electrodes, several hundreds of thousands of electrodes must beformed on the contactor.

[0005] Thus, in order to make a contact of such many contactssimultaneously, an extremely large pressure is needed. For example, ifthe contact pressure necessary for one contact point is several grams, apressure of several hundreds kilograms must be applied for a contactorwhich contacts an entire wafer.

[0006] Moreover, when as many as several hundreds of thousands ofcontacts are formed on the contactor, pattern wirings must be formed onthe contactor so as to electrically connect the contacts to externalterminals. However, since a large area is needed for providing thepattern wirings, there is a problem in that it is difficult to form suchmany pattern wirings on one contactor.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0007] It is a general object of the present invention to provide animproved and useful a contactor apparatus and a method for testing asemiconductor device.

[0008] A more specific object of the present invention is to provide acontactor apparatus which can be easily manufactured by reducing anumber of contacts to be formed on a single contactor so as to reduce anumber of pattern wirings.

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, there isprovided according to one aspect of the present invention a contactorapparatus for acquiring electrical conduction to a plurality ofsemiconductor devices formed on a semiconductor wafer, comprising: afirst contactor having contacts directly contacting terminals of a firstsystem of the semiconductor devices; and a second contactor havingcontacts to be electrically connected to terminals of a second system ofthe semiconductor devices, the second contactor movable relative to thefirst contactor and having a separate path electrically independent-fromthe first contactor.

[0010] According to the above-mentioned invention, contacts which arebrought into contact with terminals formed on the semiconductor wafercan be distributed to the first contactor and the second contactor.Thus, the number of pattern wirings formed on each of the firstcontactor and the second contactor is smaller than the number of allterminals of the semiconductor wafer, and the pattern wirings of thefirst contactor and the second contactor can be easily formed.Therefore, according to the present invention, a contactor apparatus fortesting a semiconductor wafer provided with great many terminals formedthereon can be easily manufactured.

[0011] The contactor apparatus according to the present invention maycomprise a moving mechanism for sequentially moving the second contactorto positions corresponding to the plurality of semiconductor devices.Additionally, the first contactor is preferably a membrane contactor.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first contactorhas openings, and portions provided with the contacts of the secondcontactor are brought into contact with the terminals of the secondsystem of the semiconductor devices through the openings.

[0013] Additionally, in another embodiment of the present invention, thefirst contactor has extending contacts extending from a surface of thefirst contactor facing the second contactor to a surface of the firstcontactor facing the semiconductor device, and the contacts of thesecond contactor is electrically connected to the terminals of thesecond system of the semiconductor devices by contacting the extendingcontacts. The contactor apparatus may further comprise a suctionmechanism for attracting the first contactor toward the semiconductorwafer. The suction mechanism may comprise: a cassette to which thesemiconductor wafer is attached; an elastic seal member provided to thecassette; and a suction passage connected to a space defined by thecassette, the first contactor and the elastic seal member, wherein thesemiconductor wafer is located in the space.

[0014] Additionally, the contactor apparatus according to the presentinvention may comprise an elastic member located on a surface of thefirst contactor opposite to a surface facing the semiconductor wafer soas to apply a pressing force to the first contactor through the elasticmember.

[0015] Further the contactor apparatus according to the presentinvention may comprise a sheet having an anisotropic conductivity andlocated on a surface of the first contactor opposite to a surface facingthe semiconductor wafer, wherein the contacts is brought into contactwith the contacts by pressing the contacts of the second contactoragainst the extending contacts.

[0016] Additionally, projection electrodes may be formed on theterminals of the first system of the semiconductor wafer and terminalsof the second system, and the contacts of the first contactor may haveconcave surfaces corresponding to a shape of the projection electrodesso that the concave surfaces are brought into contact with theprojection electrodes. Further, the extending contacts of the firstcontactor may have concave portions which are brought into contact withthe contacts of the second contact.

[0017] Additionally, the contactor apparatus according to the presentinvention may comprise temperature control means for controlling atemperature of the semiconductor wafer.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present invention, thetemperature control means includes a fluid passage provided to thesecond contactor so as to locally perform a temperature of semiconductorwafer by supplying a fluid of a predetermined temperature to the fluidpassage. Additionally, the temperature control means may include atemperature sensor which detects a temperature of the fluid dischargedfrom the fluid passage so as to control the temperature of the fluidsupplied to the fluid passage based on an output of the temperaturesensor.

[0019] According to another embodiment of the present invention, thecontactor apparatus comprise a cassette attached to the semiconductorwafer, wherein the temperature control means has a medium passageprovided to the cassette so as to control the temperature of thesemiconductor wafer by causing a medium of a predetermined temperatureflowing through the medium passage. Additionally, the temperaturecontrol means may comprise a temperature control unit to which acassette attached to the semiconductor wafer is removably attached,wherein the temperature control means has a medium passage provided tothe temperature control unit so as to control the temperature of thesemiconductor wafer by causing a medium of a predetermined temperatureflowing through the medium passage.

[0020] Additionally, there is provided according another aspect of thepresent invention a test method for testing a plurality of semiconductordevices formed on a semiconductor wafer, comprising; a step of attachingthe semiconductor wafer to a predetermined position of a cassette; astep of placing and fixing a first contactor to the semiconductor wafer,the first contactor having contacts which are directly brought intocontact with power supply terminals formed on the semiconductor devicesof the semiconductor wafer; a step of electrically connecting contactsof a second contactor to signal terminals formed on the semiconductordevices of the semiconductor wafer; and a step of testing thesemiconductor devices by inputting signals to the semiconductor devicesthrough the second contactor while supplying a power to thesemiconductor devices through the first contactor so as to detectoutputs corresponding to the signals.

[0021] In the above-mentioned invention, the step of testing may includea step of sequentially testing the semiconductor devices while movingthe second contactor. Additionally, the step of testing may include astep of performing a test while controlling a temperature of thesemiconductor wafer through the second contactor. Further, the step oftesting may include a step of performing a test while controlling atemperature of the semiconductor wafer through the cassette.

[0022] Other objects, features and advantages of the present inventionwill become more apparent from the following detailed description whenread in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of acontactor apparatus according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0024]FIG. 2 is a view for explaining a second contactor of thecontactor apparatus according to the first embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0025]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a contactor apparatusaccording to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0026]FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a structure of fixing a firstcontactor of the contactor apparatus according to the second embodiment.

[0027]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of acontactor apparatus which is a variation of the first embodiment of thepresent invention.

[0028]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of acontactor apparatus which is a first variation of the second embodimentof the present invention.

[0029]FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of acontactor apparatus which is a second variation of the second embodimentof the present invention.

[0030]FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of acontactor apparatus which is a third variation of the second embodimentof the present invention.

[0031]FIGS. 9A, 9B and 9C are views for explaining a testing method of asemiconductor device using the contactor apparatus according to thesecond embodiment of the present invention.

[0032]FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which atemperature controlling means is provided in a second contactor.

[0033]FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which atemperature sensor is provided in the second contactor shown in FIG. 10.

[0034]FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which atemperature controlling means is provided in a cassette to which asemiconductor wafer is attached.

[0035]FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which amedium passage is provided in a unit different from the cassette.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0036] A description will be given below, with reference to thedrawings, of embodiments of the present invention. It should be notedthat equivalent structural components in the drawings are given the samereference numerals.

[0037]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of acontactor apparatus according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention. The contactor apparatus according to the first embodiment ofthe present invention comprises a first contactor 2 and a secondcontactor 4, and is configured to make a contact with a plurality of ICchips (semiconductor devices) in a wafer state. The first contactor 2 isconfigured to cover a substantially entire surface of a semiconductorwafer 6. On the other hand, the second contactor 4 is configured to makea contact with each of a plurality of semiconductor devices formed onthe wafer 6, separately.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 1, the first contactor 2 is constituted by, forexample, a membrane contactor, and makes a contact with predeterminedelectrodes of each IC chip in a wafer state. In the present embodiment,the contacts of the first contactor 2 are arranged so as to contact withpower supply electrodes (power supply terminals) 6 a of each IC chip.Therefore, each IC chip can be made into an operated state by contactingthe first contactor 2 and supplying a voltage.

[0039] It should be noted that, in the first contactor 2, contacts 2 bare formed by nickel or gold plating on a membrane. Thus, the thicknessof the contactor 2 decreases by making the first contactor 2 of amembrane contactor, and the second contactor 4 is avoided frominterfering with the first contactor 2 when moving the second contactor4 with a small travel in a perpendicular direction as mentioned later.

[0040] The first contactor 2 has openings 2 a in predeterminedpositions, and contacts 4 a of the second contactor 4 is capable ofcontacting signal electrodes (signal terminals) 6 b of each IC chipthrough the openings 2 a. That is, the openings 2 a are arranged so asto be located above the signal terminals 6 b of each IC chip, and thecontacts 4 a of the second contactor 4 is capable of contacting thesignal terminals 6 b of each IC chip. It should be noted that the signalterminals 6 b include signal I/O terminals and signal output terminals.

[0041] The second contactor 4 has projection parts 4 b which are partsprovided with contacts 4 a as shown in FIG. 1, and the projection parts4 b are configured to be inserted into the openings 2 a of the firstcontactor 2. The contacts 4 a of the second contactor 4 are so-calledpogopin type contacts which comprise pins elastically movable by coilsprings, etc. Therefore, the contacts 4 a of the second contactor 4 canobtain a stable contact due to a relatively large stroke.

[0042] It should be noted, as mentioned later, that the second contactor4 sequentially moves to a position above an adjacent IC chip so as tomake a contact after a test of one IC chip is completed. Thereby, a testcan be performed on the IC chips on the semiconductor wafer 6 one afteranother. The second contactor 4 is moved by a moving mechanism 7, anddescriptions with respect to a specific structure thereof will beomitted since the structure of the moving mechanism 7 can be achieved bya known structure.

[0043] Moreover, although the second contactor 4 shown in FIG. 1 isconfigured to make a contact with a single IC chip, a number of contactscorresponds to a plurality of IC chips may be provided to the secondcontactor 4. By doing so, a test can be performed on a plurality of ICchips simultaneously, and a number of travels of the second contactor 4can be reduced, which reduces a time spent on the test.

[0044]FIG. 2 is a view for explaining a structure, which moves a secondcontactor of a contactor apparatus according to the first embodiment ofthe present invention. The first contactor 2 shown in FIG. 2 is amembrane contactor, which has contacts 2 a at positions corresponding topower supply terminals of each IC chip of the semi semiconductor wafer6. Moreover, the second contactor 4 shown in FIG. 2 is configured to becapable of make a contact with the signal electrodes 6 b of two IC chipssimultaneously.

[0045] Therefore, the first contactor 2 is first located on the wafer 6so as to make a contact with the power supply terminals 6 a of each ICchip, and supply a voltage to each IC chip so as to put each IC chip inan operating state. Next, the contacts 4 a of the second contactor 4 arecontacted with the signal terminals 6 b of the IC chip to be tested soas to supply signals to predetermined signal input terminals, and the ICchip is tested by measuring outputs of the signal output terminals. Whenthe test is completed (two IC chips are simultaneously tested in FIG.2), the second contactor 4 is moved onto two adjacent IC chips so as tomake a contact, and a test is performed similarly.

[0046] As mentioned above, according to the contactor apparatusaccording to the present embodiment, a function of one contactor isachieved by dividing into a first contactor which makes a contact withthe power supply terminals 6 a and the second contactor 4 which makes acontact with the signal terminals 6 b, and, thus, the contacts which areprovided correspondingly to the terminals formed in the entiresemiconductor wafer 6 can be distributed to the first contactor 2 andthe second contactor 4. Therefore, the number of contacts required foreach of the first contactor 2 and the second contactor 4 is less thanthe number of terminals formed in the entire wafer, and the patternwirings connecting the contacts can be easily formed in a small area.

[0047] Next, a description will be given, with reference to FIG. 3, of acontactor apparatus according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of thecontactor apparatus according to the second embodiment of the presentinvention. In FIG. 3, parts that are the same as the parts shown in FIG.2 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof willbe omitted.

[0048] Similar to the above-mentioned first embodiment, the contactorapparatus according to the second embodiment of the present inventioncomprises a first contactor 8 and second contactor 4. Unlike the secondcontactor 2 shown in FIG. 1, the second contactor 8 does not have theopenings 2 a. Instead, the second contactor 8 has contacts 8 a, whichare brought into contact with power supply terminals 6 a of thesemiconductor wafer 6. Contacts 8 a provided to the first contactor 8extend through the first contactor 8 in a direction of the thicknessthereof. One ends of the contacts 8 a are arranged so as to be broughtinto contact with the signal terminals of the semiconductor wafer 6, andthe other ends are exposed on a surface of the first contactor 8.

[0049] In the above-mentioned structure, the contacts 4 a of the secondcontactor 4 are brought into contact with exposed portions of the firstcontactor 8. Thereby, the signal terminals 6 b of the semiconductorwafer 6 are electrically conducted with the contacts 4 a of the secondcontactor 4, which achieves a contact by the second contactor 4.

[0050] It should be noted that, although the first contactor 8 has thecontacts 8 a and 8 b of the same number as the number of the terminals 6a and 6 b of the semiconductor wafer 6 in the present embodiment, thereis no need to provide the pattern wiring to the contacts 8 b in thefirst contactor 8 since no signal is input from the first contactor tothe contacts 8 a. That is, the contacts 8 b are located between thecontacts 4 a and the signal terminals 6 b of the semiconductor wafer soas to electrically connect them. Moreover, although the second contactor4 has the projection parts 4 b in the example shown in FIG. 3, there isno need provide the projection parts 4 b in the present embodiment sincethe contacts 4 a are not necessarily inserted into the openings.

[0051]FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a structure for fixing the firstcontactor 8 of the contactor apparatus according to the secondembodiment of the present invention. The first contactor 8 shown in FIG.4 is a membrane contactor, and has the contacts 8 b in the positionscorresponding to the power supply terminals 6 a of each IC chip of thesemiconductor wafer 6. Additionally, the second contactor 4 shown inFIG. 4 is configured to be capable of make a contact with the signalterminals 6 b of two IC chips simultaneously.

[0052] First, since the first contactor 8 is fixed onto thesemiconductor wafer 6, the semiconductor wafer 6 is arranged on acassette 10 of a testing apparatus. An O-ring 12 having a diametergreater than the diameter of the semiconductor wafer 6 but smaller thanthe diameter of the first contactor is attached to the cassette 10. Thesemiconductor wafer 6 is accommodated in a recessed-part 10 a formedinside the O-ring 12, and the first contactor 8 is placed above therecessed-part 10 a so as to cover the semiconductor wafer 6 and theO-ring 12. It should be noted that the O-ring 12 is an elastic sealmember formed of a material having heat resistance such as siliconrubber.

[0053] In this state, the first contactor 8 is positioned so that thecontacts 8 a and 8 b of the first contactor 8 make a contact with thepower supply terminals 6 a and the signal terminals 6 b of the wafer 6.Then, an evacuation of a space defined by the first contactor 8, thesemiconductor wafer 6 and the O-ring 12 is carried out. That is, thecassette 10 is provided with a suction passage 10 b for evacuation, andthe above-mentioned space is maintained at a negative pressure byconnecting a vacuum pump (suction pump) to the suction passage lob.Therefore, the first contactor 8 is fixed to the cassette 10 (that is,the semiconductor wafer 6) by being pressed entirely toward thesemiconductor wafer 6 by an atmospheric pressure (that is, by beingattracted toward the semiconductor wafer 6). Simultaneously, thecontacts 8 a and 8 b of the first contactor 8 contact positively thepower source terminals 6 a and the signal terminals 6 b on thesemiconductor wafer 6. It should be noted that the above-mentionedcassette 10, O-ring 12 and suction passage 10 b provided to the cassette10 constitute a suction mechanism.

[0054] Next, each IC chip is changed into an operating-state bysupplying a power source voltage to the power supply terminals 6 a ofeach IC chip through the first contactor 8. Then, the contacts 4 a ofthe second contactor 4 are brought into contact with the signalterminals 6 b (signal input terminals) of the IC chip to be tested so asto supply a predetermined signal, and perform the test by measuringoutputs from the signal terminals 6 b.

[0055] Upon completion of the test (two IC chips are testedsimultaneously in FIG. 4), the second contactor 4 is moved to a positionabove the adjacent two IC chips so as to make a contact and a test iscarried out in the same manner. As mentioned above, according to thecontactor apparatus according to the present embodiment, since afunction as a single contactor is achieved by dividing the contactorinto the first contactor 8 which makes a contact with the power supplyterminal 6 a and the second contactor 4 which makes a contact with thesignal terminals 6 b, all terminals formed on the entire semiconductorwafer 6 can be distributed to the first contactor 8 and the secondcontactor 4. Therefore, the number of the pattern wiring which should beformed in the first contactor 8 becomes less than the number of theterminals formed in the whole wafer. Moreover, the number of thecontacts necessary for the second contactor 4 is smaller than the numberof terminals formed on the entire wafer, and the number of patternwirings is also reduced. Therefore, the pattern wirings connected to thecontacts corresponding to the terminals formed on the semiconductorwafer 6 is distributed to the first contactor 8 and the second contactor4, which allows easy formation of the pattern wirings.

[0056] Next, a description will be given of variations of the contactorapparatuses according to the above-mentioned first and secondembodiments.

[0057]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of acontactor apparatus according to a variation of the above-mentionedfirst embodiment. The contactor apparatus shown in FIG. 5 is providedwith an elastic board 14 which is formed of silicon rubber or plasticson the first contactor 2 and a press board 16 formed of a rigid materialthereon. By pressing the press board 16 toward the semiconductor wafer6, a contact pressure of the first contactor 2 can be easily obtainedusing the elasticity of the elastic board 14. It should be noted thatthe elastic board 14 and the press board 16 are provided with openings14 a and 16 a in positions corresponding to the opening 2 a of the firstcontactor 2, respectively.

[0058]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of acontactor apparatus according to a first variation of theabove-mentioned second embodiment. The contactor apparatus shown in FIG.6 is provided with the elastic board 18 having an anisotropicconductivity on the first contactor 8. That is, the contacts 4 a of thesecond contactor 4 can be easily brought into contact with the signalterminals 6 b of the semiconductor wafer 6 by pressing the contacts 4 aof the second contactor 4 against the contacts 8 a contacting the signalterminals 6 b of the semiconductor wafer 6 through the elastic board 18having an anisotropic conductivity.

[0059] In the example shown in FIG. 6, there is no need to form thecontacts 4 a of the second contactor 4 as a pogopin type, and thecontacts 4 a may be fixed pins. Additionally, a press board havingopenings such as shown in FIG. 5 may be provided on the elastic board 18so as to press portions corresponding to the contacts 8 b.

[0060]FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of acontactor apparatus according to a second variation of theabove-mentioned second embodiment. Illustration of the second contactor4 is omitted in FIG. 7. The contactor shown in FIG. 7 is used whenprojection electrodes 6 c like solder balls are formed on electrodes 6 aand 6 b of the IC chips of the semiconductor wafer 6. Namely, a endportion of each of the contacts 8Aa and 8Ab is processed into a formwhich matches the rounded shape of the projection electrodes 6 c.Thereby, a contact by a large contact area can be attained withoutdamaging projection electrodes 6 c.

[0061] It should be noted that the shape of the contacts 8Ab can beapplied to the contacts 2 b provided to the first contact 2 shown inFIG. 1. That is, when the projection electrodes are formed on theelectrodes of the semiconductor wafer shown in FIG. 1, the shape of theends of the contacts 2 b provided to the first contactor 2 is made intothe same shape as the contacts 8Ab. In this case, it is preferable thatthe shape of the ends of the contacts 4 a of the second contactor 4 bealso made into the same shape as the contacts 8Ab.

[0062]FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of acontactor apparatus according to a third variation of theabove-mentioned second embodiment. In the contactor apparatus shown inFIG. 8, a recessed-part is formed in a surface of each of the contacts8Ba of the first contactor 8B on the side of the second contact 4. Theend portions of the contacts 4 a of the second contactor 4 have a convexshape corresponding to the recessed-parts of the contacts 8Ba. Thereby,contacts 4 a of the second contactor 4 can be accurately positioned tothe contacts 8Ba, thereby making a reliable contact.

[0063] It should be noted that although the recessed-parts are formed onthe contacts 8Ba so as to make the end potions of the contacts 4 a intothe convex shape, the same effect can be obtained by formingrecessed-parts on the end portions of the contacts 4 a and making thecontacts 8Ba into a convex shape.

[0064] Next, a description will be given, with reference to FIGS. 9A, 9Band 9C, of a test method using the contactor apparatuses according theabove-mentioned first or second embodiment. Although the contactorapparatus according to the second embodiment is used in the exampleshown in FIGS. 9A, 9B and 9C, a test method with respect to thecontactor apparatus according to the first embodiment is the same.

[0065] First, as shown in FIG. 9A, the first contactor 8 and the secondcontactor 4 are prepared. Next, as shown in FIG. 9B, the semiconductorwafer 6 having IC chips to be tested is placed in the recessed-part 10 aof the cassette 10. Thereby, positioning of the semiconductor wafer 6 isperformed. Then, as shown in FIG. 9C, the first contactor 8 is pressedagainst the semiconductor wafer 6.

[0066] That is, the contacts 8 a and 8 b of the first contactor 8 arebrought into contact with the power supply terminals 6 a and the signalterminals 6 b of the semiconductor wafer 6. Then, the second contactor 4and the IC chip of the semiconductor wafer 6 is made into aconducting-state by bringing the contacts 4 a of the second contactor 4into contact with the contacts 8 a of the first contactor 8. Thereby,signals can be supplied to the input signal terminals of the IC chipthrough the second contactor 4 so that outputs from the output terminalscan be checked with respect to the input. Then, the test is carried outsequentially to the IC chips of the semiconductor wafer 6 while movingthe second contactor 4.

[0067] Next, a description will be given of an example in which atemperature control means is provided to the contactor apparatusesaccording to the above-mentioned first and the second embodiments. Thetemperature control means is a means for controlling a temperature of ICchip to be tested, and there may be a case in which the IC chip isheated or a case in which the IC chip is cooled.

[0068]FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which thetemperature control means is provided to the second contactor 4. Thatis, the second contactor 4 shown in FIG. 10 is provided with an airpassage 4 c for supplying a temperature-controlled. The air passage 4 cis connected to a blower apparatus 20 so that an air supplied from theblower apparatus 20 is discharged from the second contactor through theair passage 4C. Here, the air supplied to the air passage 4 c is heatedor cooled by a heating device such as an electric heater or a coolingdevice 22, and supplied to the air passage 4 c. The heating apparatusand the cooling apparatus can be achieved by a single device byutilizing a Peltier element.

[0069] Discharge ports of the air passage 4 c are arranged so as to bein positions on the first contactor 8, which are directly above the ICchips to be tested. Therefore, the IC chips contacted by the secondcontactor 4 are heated or cooled by the air discharged from the airpassage 4 c. Thereby, only the IC chip to be tested can betemperature-controlled, which allows setting of a more wider testtemperature conditions.

[0070]FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which atemperature sensor 24 is provided to the second contactor 4 shown inFIG. 10. The temperature sensor 24 is located near the discharge portsof the air passage 4 c so as to detect a temperature of the airdischarged from the discharge ports. The output of the temperaturesensor 24 is sent to the heating device or the cooling device 22. Theheating device or the cooling device 22 controls the temperature of theair from the blower apparatus 20 based on the output from thetemperature sensor 24. Therefore, the temperature of the air dischargedfrom the air passage 4 c is controlled accurately by a feed-back controlusing the output of the temperature sensor 24. Thereby, the temperatureof the IC chips tested by the second contactor 4 can be accuratelycontrolled.

[0071] It should be noted that although the temperature controlled airis supplied to the second contactor in the example shown in FIG. 10 andFIG. 11, a predetermined gas such as an inert gas or nitrogen may besupplied instead of air. In this case, the blower apparatus 20 isreplaced by a gas supply source of the predetermined gas supplied to theheating device or the cooling device 22.

[0072]FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which atemperature control means is provided to the cassette to which thesemiconductor wafer 6 is attached. That is, the cassette 10A shown inFIG. 12 is provided with a medium passage 26 for flowing a medium (forexample, a cooling medium) for controlling a temperature of thesemiconductor wafer 6. A medium which is controlled to a predeterminedtemperature is supplied from a medium supply apparatus 28 to a supplyport 26 a of the medium passage 26.

[0073] The medium flows through the medium passage 26 and is dischargedfrom an outlet port 26 b. The temperature of the cassette 10A iscontrolled by the medium which flows through the medium passage 26, and,thereby, the temperature of the semiconductor wafer 6 attached to thecassette 10A is controlled. Therefore, the temperature of thesemiconductor wafer 6 can be controlled by controlling the temperatureof the medium supplied from the medium supply apparatus 28.

[0074]FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of an example in which a mediumpassage is provided to a unit different from a cassette. That is, inFIG. 13, the medium passage 26 is provided to a temperature control unit30, and the cassette 10 is removably attached to the temperature controlunit 30. According to the example shown in FIG. 13, since the mediumpassage 26 is not provided to the cassette 1Q, the cassette 10 can bemade into a simple structure.

[0075] It should be noted that the IC chip tested by the secondcontactor 4 can be further locally temperature-controlled whiletemperature-controlling the entire semiconductor wafer 6 by combiningthe structure shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 with the structure shown in FIG.11 or 12. Thereby, a temperature of the IC chips subjected to a test canbe accurately controlled.

[0076] The present invention is not limited to the specificallydisclosed embodiments, and variations and modifications may be madewithin the scope of the present invention.

1. A contactor apparatus for acquiring electrical conduction to aplurality of semiconductor devices formed on a semiconductor wafer,comprising: a first contactor having contacts directly contactingterminals of a first system of said semiconductor devices; and a secondcontactor having contacts to be electrically connected to terminals of asecond system of said semiconductor devices, said second contactormovable relative to said first contactor and having a separate pathelectrically independent from said first contactor.
 2. The contactorapparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising a moving mechanism forsequentially moving said second contactor to positions corresponding tothe plurality of semiconductor devices.
 3. The contactor apparatus asclaimed in claim 1, wherein said first contactor is a membranecontactor.
 4. The contactor apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1to 3, wherein said first contactor has openings, and portions providedwith the contacts of said second contactor are brought into contact withthe terminals of the second system of said semiconductor devices throughsaid openings.
 5. The contactor apparatus as claimed in any one ofclaims 1 to 3, wherein said first contactor has extending contactsextending from a surface of said first contactor facing said secondcontactor to a surface of said first contactor facing said semiconductordevice, and the contacts of said second contactor is electricallyconnected to the terminals of the second system of said semiconductordevices by contacting said extending contacts.
 6. The contactorapparatus as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a suction mechanismfor attracting said first contactor toward said semiconductor wafer. 7.The contactor apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said suctionmechanism comprises: a cassette to which said semiconductor wafer isattached; an elastic seal member provided to said cassette; and asuction passage connected to a space defined by said cassette, saidfirst contactor and said elastic seal member, wherein said semiconductorwafer is located in said space.
 8. The contactor apparatus as claimed inany one of claims 1 to 3, comprising an elastic member located on asurface of said first contactor opposite to a surface facing saidsemiconductor wafer so as to apply a pressing force to said firstcontactor through said elastic member.
 9. The contactor apparatus asclaimed in claim 5, comprising a sheet having an anisotropicconductivity and located on a surface of said first contactor oppositeto a surface facing said semiconductor wafer, wherein said contacts isbrought into contact with said contacts by pressing the contacts of saidsecond contactor against said extending contacts.
 10. The contactorapparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein projection electrodes areformed on the terminals of the first system of said semiconductor waferand terminals of the second system, and the contacts of said firstcontactor have concave surfaces corresponding to a shape of saidprojection electrodes so that the concave surfaces are brought intocontact with said projection electrodes.
 11. The contactor apparatus asclaimed in claim 5, wherein the extending contacts of said firstcontactor have concave portions which are brought into contact with thecontacts of said second contact.
 12. The contactor apparatus as claimedin any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising temperature control means forcontrolling a temperature of said semiconductor wafer.
 13. The contactorapparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein said temperature control meansincludes a fluid passage provided to said second contactor so as tolocally perform a temperature of semiconductor wafer by supplying afluid of a predetermined temperature to said fluid passage.
 14. Thecontactor as claimed in claim 13, wherein said temperature control meansincludes a temperature sensor which detects a temperature of the fluiddischarged from said fluid passage so as to control the temperature ofthe fluid supplied to said fluid passage based on an output of saidtemperature sensor.
 15. The contactor apparatus as claimed in claim 12,comprising a cassette attached to said semiconductor wafer, wherein saidtemperature control means has a medium passage provided to said cassetteso as to control the temperature of said semiconductor wafer by causinga medium of a predetermined temperature flowing through said mediumpassage.
 16. The contactor apparatus as claimed in claim 12, comprisinga temperature control unit to which a cassette attached to saidsemiconductor wafer is removably attached, wherein said temperaturecontrol means has a medium passage provided to said temperature controlunit so as to control the temperature of said semiconductor wafer bycausing a medium of a predetermined temperature flowing through saidmedium passage.
 17. A test method for testing a plurality ofsemiconductor devices formed on a semiconductor wafer, comprising; astep of attaching said semiconductor wafer to a predetermined positionof a cassette; a step of placing and fixing a first contactor to saidsemiconductor wafer, the first contactor having contacts which aredirectly brought into contact with power supply terminals formed on thesemiconductor devices of said semiconductor wafer; a step ofelectrically connecting contacts of a second contactor to signalterminals formed on the semiconductor devices of said semiconductorwafer; and a step of testing said semiconductor devices by inputtingsignals to said semiconductor devices through said second contactorwhile supplying a power to said semiconductor devices through said firstcontactor so as to detect outputs corresponding to the signals.
 18. Thetest method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the step of testing includesa step of sequentially testing said semiconductor devices while movingsaid second contactor.
 19. The test method as claimed in claim 17 or 18,wherein the step of testing includes a step of performing a test whilecontrolling a temperature of said semiconductor wafer through saidsecond contactor.
 20. The test method as claimed in claim 17 or 18,wherein the step of testing includes a step of performing a test whilecontrolling a temperature of said semiconductor wafer through saidcassette.